The Star 21 Jun 13;
KOTA KINABALU: The 14 elephants found dead at a forest reserve in Sabah’s interior in December were killed by severe poisoning though authorities are still trying to track down the culprits, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun told the assembly.
He said chemical analysis by Australian experts showed that the elephants’ remains contained high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, iron and chromium.
“These metals are usually found around mining, smelting or waste disposal operations. However, this does not make sense as there is no such activity in the area,” Masidi said when winding up the debate on the Government’s policy speech.
He said Wildlife Department officials sent out specimens of the dead elephants to various research institutions in the peninsula, Thailand and Australia to obtain feedback on how the animals had been killed.
Masidi said the Government had been transparent in handling the matter and was working with various wildlife NGOs for long-term conservation efforts of the elephants.
Among these measures are the implementation of the Elephant Species Action Plan and the setting up of the Elephant Rescue Centre at the Lower Kinabatangan.
